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PHILALETHK  1 SOC  JIETY 


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ST.  LOUIS  UNIVERSITY, 


A DEBATE 


BY  THE 


PHILALETHIC  SOCIETY 


ST.  LOUIS  UNIVERSITY, 


Monday,  February  21,  1870. 


“ARMS  FACUNDIA  PRiESTAT.” 


ST.  LOUIS: 

GEORGE  KNAPP  & CO.,  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS. 
1 8 7 0. 


Piiilalethic  Hall,  February  28,  1870. 


GENfLEMEN: — 

Considering  the  late  Celebration  of  Washington’s  Birthday  as  both 
interesting  to  the  public  and  creditable  to  the  Philalethic  Society,  we  hereby  request, 
pursuant  to  a resolution  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Members,  a copy  of  your  argu- 
ments for  publication. 

Yours  respectfully, 

D.  D.  BURNES, 


T.  W.  McATEE, 

F.  V.  REYBURN. 

To  Messrs.  M.  J.  McLoughlin 
Chas.  M.  Ogle, 

J.  J.  Yarnall, 

J.  A.  Blair, 

L.  O.  Knapp. 


St.  Louis  University,  February  28,  1870. 


Gentlemen  : — 

In  compliance  with  your  request,  we  herewith  furnish  you  with  a copy 
of  our  remarks,  trusting  that  an  intelligent  public — which  knows  how  to  discriminate 
between  spoken  and  written  language —will  bear  in  mind,  that  they  were  never  intend- 
ed to  appear  in  print. 

Respectfully, 

M.  J.  McLOUGHLIN, 


L.  O.  KNAPP, 

JNO.  J.  YARNALL, 
CHAS.  M.  OGLE, 
JAS.  A.  BLAIR. 

To  Messrs.  D.  D.  Burnf.s, 

T.  W.  McAtee, 

F.  Y.  Reyburn. 


DEBATE  BY  THE  PHILALETHIC  SOCIETY, 


ON  THE  SUBJECT: 


“Ought  tiie  National  Capital  to  tie  Removed  to  St.  Louisl” 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  BY  THE  CHAIRMAN, 

M.  J.  McLOUGHLIN. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — The  members  of  the  Philalethic  Society 
appear  before  you,  eager  to  do  their  share  in  making  this  evening  as 
pleasant  as  possible.  They  have  chosen  a subject,  which  occupies,  at 
the  present  time,  a considerable  portion  of  the  public  attention,  and 
which  they  hope  will  prove  interesting — “Ought  the  National  Capital  to 
be  removed  to  St.  Louis/’  To  prevent  repetition,  each  disputant  will  con- 
fine his  remarks  to  some  given  point.  The  first  Affirmative  will  try  to 
prove  that  the  capital  ought  to  be  removed  to  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  first  Negative  will  maintain  the  contrary.  The  second  Affirmative 
will  show  that  St.  Louis  is  the  point  in  the  Valley  that  should  be  selected 
as  the  seat  of  the  National  Government,  whilst  the  second  Negative  will 
contend  against  this  selection,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  prove  inju- 
rious rather  than  beneficial  to  St.  Louis. 


First  Affirmative. 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  JOHN  J.  YARNALL. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : 

So  intimate  are  the  relations  which  the  capital  of  a country  bears 
toward  the  other  parts,  that  to  ignore  or  disregard  them  is  the  certain 
forerunner  of  coming  ruin.  It  must  be  to  the  rest  of  the  county  what 
the  sun  is  to  the  universe — the  centre,  around  which  the  minor  orbs 
revolve.  Its  warm  and  genial  rays  must  fall  upon  every  spot  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  enlivening  and  invigorating 
every  section  alike.  It  must  be  metropolitan,  that  is,  located  in  the  scat 
of  wealth  and  empire — in  the  very  midst  of  commerce  and  enterprise. 
Such  evidently  was  the  opinion  of  the  first  Fathers  of  the  Republic. 

Washington  City  was  chosen  capital  when  the  United  States  had  a 
population  of  about  four  millions,  and  it  was  chosen  for  the  most  potent 


(4)  i 

reason,  viz : that  it  was  the  most  central  point,  and  as  such  served  as 
the  connecting  link  between  the  great  sectional  interests  of  the  coun- 
try. But  then  and  now  are  different ; things  have  changed  since  the 
good  old  days  of  1800.  Progress  has  advanced  in  its  rapid  march 
across  the  continent,  uniting  ocean  with  ocean ; and  instead  of  one 
small  division  of  thirteen  commonwealths,  we  have  three  grand  divis- 
ions of  forty  commonwealths ; instead  of  three  millions  of  people, 
armed  in  the  holy  cause  of  liberty,  we  have  forty  millions,  engaged  in 
the  great  cause  of  civilization  and — money -making.  Nay,  more,  while 
some  of  the  Eastern  States,  and  especially  those  of  New  England,  so 
far  from  increasing  in  population  are  actually  diminishing,  the  centre 
and  the  West  are  developing  so  rapidly  that  at  the  dawn  of  the  20th 
centmy  this  great  sisterhood  of  States  will  unite,  by  an  unbroken 
band,  no  less  than  one  hundred  millions  of  people. 

The  public  interests  are  changed — the  seat  of  empire  has  been  borne 
from  its  ancient  base  to  the  centre  of  the  country.  The  same  relations 
do  not  and  cannot  exist,  between  the  old  capital  and  the  country,  now 
as  of  yore.  Washington  City  is  no  longer  a favorable  location,  and 
the  national  interests,  which  cannot  succumb  to  those  of  a small  por- 
tion of  the  country,  imperatively  demand  a change.  The  greatest  cities 
of  the  past  have  fallen  victims  to  the  shifting  of  empire  and  the  march 
of  time,  and  the  little  town  of  Washington  may  as  well  prepare  to  meet 
the  same  fate  with  becoming  resignation.  u Fuit  Ilium  ” will  soon  be 
the  fittest  motto  inscribed  on  its  mouldy  ruins.  Washington  was,  but 
is  no  more. 

Our  interests  are  at  stake,  and  she  must  be  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of 
our  country — "the  inexorable  can  have  no  barrier.”  The  busy  hum  of 
national  life  is  scarcely  heard  in  her  quiet  streets ; the  irresistible  tide 
of  wealth,  and  power,  and  energy  has  passed  her  by  in  its  course,  and 
she  is  already  falling  into  a lethean  obscurity  equalled  only  by  that  of 
Sleepy  Hollow — the  classical  realms  of  our  old  acquaintance  “Hip.” 
Washington  City  is  not  the  capital  of  the  nation,  but  of  the  Atlantic 
States.  They  hold  her  with  an  agonizing  grasp,  and  through  her  seek 
to  rule  the  nation ; they  wield  the  power  of  the  country  without  a 
right  and  to  our  detriment.  Is  this  fair?  Is  it  worthy  of  our  brethren 
of  the  East  ? 

Politicians  and  statesmen  regard  a balance  of  power  as  essential  to 
the  peace  of  Europe,  and  as  soon  as  one  country  exercises  an  undue 
influence,  the  others  unite  to  curb  its  power,  and  u plucking  the  grow- 
ing feathers  from  her  wing,  make  her  fly  an  ordinary  pitch.”  Might 
not,  should  not,  the  same  policy  be  pursued  in  an  honest,  law-abiding 
way  in  our  own  land  ? Shall  we  of  the  centre  and  the  West  build  up 
the  crumbling  walls  of  the  old  departments,  without  any  advantage  to 
ourselves  ? Certainly  we  are  not  well  balanced  here  ! The  hub  of 
the  universe  is  evidently  too  far  east.  No  wonder,  then,  that  we  have 
sometimes  been  moving  in  an  eccentric  orbit,  and  more  than  once  been 
in  danger  of  striking  some  straying  comet. 

Add  to  this,  that  Washington  is  notoriously  inconvenient  of  ap- 
proach, hemmed  in  as  she  is  by  lofty  mountains,  and  having  such 
wretched  connections  with  the  North,  West  and  South.  Our  represen- 
tatives, as  even  Benton  foresaw,  have  to  come  too  far.  Those  from  the 
Pacific  slope  have  to  traverse  an  entire  continent — from  ocean  to 


(5) 


ocean — pass  by  the  seat  of  empire,  through  all  the  wealth  and  energy 
of  the  nation,  and,  after  days  of  weary  traveling,  at  last  alight  in  a 
gloomy  little  retreat  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

But  more  than  all,  Washington  is  ever  liable  to  foreign  invasion.  It 
is  so  situated  that  defence  is  almost  impracticable,  and  being  near  the 
coast,  the  enemy  can  surprise  and  destroy  it  before  a movement  is 
instituted  for  its  protection.  Did  not  the  British  sack  it  and  drive  the 
executive  and  heads  of  departments  before  them  ? — and  is  not  the  same 
scene  as  likely  to  be  enacted  in  the  future  ? Let  us  preclude  the  pos- 
sibility of  a repetition  by  a removal  of  the  capital.  Washington  City 
has  ceased  to  play  her  part  in  the  great  drama  of  the  nation,  and  her 
symbolic  eagle  is  winging  his  flight  to  other  regions,  where  he  is  secure 
against  molestation.  Thither  must  the  capital  be  transplanted — to  a 
location  dictated  by  the  voice  of  nature  herself,  and  which  everything 
conduces  to  make  what  it  ought  to  be,  the  chief  city  of  the  nation. 
In  that  spot  where  beats  the  heart  of  the  nation,  whence  ebbs  and 
flows  all  vital  essence  through  its  arterial  courses,  there  and  nowhere 
else  should  stand  America’s  capital.  Who  will  deny  it  ? Will  he  who 
loves  to  see  a smiling  land  united  in  its  interests  and  its  strength  ? 
No!  no!  The  gloomy  spectre,  the  awful  visions  of  our  late  battle- 
fields loom  up  in  the  hazy  distance  and  confront  him  at  every  pass. 
Did  not  the  late  fratricidal  struggle  originate  because  of  sectional 
interests?  Destroy  these  and  you  remove  every  cause  of  dissension. 
Reduce  theory  to  practice,  place  the  capital  in  that  spot  where  sec- 
tional interests  coalesce  and  become  national;  avoid  extremes — “ medio 
tutissimus  ibis.”  Know  ye  not  the  spot  whereon  the  gods  so  favorably 
smile  ? Anticipate  ye  not  the  site  of  the  coming  capital  ? Yea,  your 
very  hearts  have  uttered  the  name,  before  it  has  yet  passed  the  trem- 
bling lips.  Minerva  speaks  ! Obey  her  call. 

We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  valley  of  the  world.  Hither  to 
its  centre  flow  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  nation.  Hither  also  will 
advance  the  governing  authority;  and,  at  no  distant  day,  this  beautiful 
labyrinth  of  inland  seas  shall  be  hailed  by  all  peoples  and  nations,  as 
the  imperial  centre  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  Think  you  I utter  a 
beautiful  fallacy?  If  so,  tell  me  where  is  the  iron  that  builds  our  rail- 
roads? Where  the  coal  that  feeds  our  steam-engines,  and  warms  our 
parlors?  Where  the  fruits  and  grains  unrivalled  in  the  world?  They 
are  here,  and  each  alone,  exclusive  of  the  rest,  is  a source  of  wealth  to 
any  country.  Where  so  much  wealth  concentrates,  there  also  must 
reside  the  political  power  of  the  nation. 

Nothing  but  supineness  on  our  part  can  prevent  or  retard  the 
speedy  consummation  of  these  wishes.  Let  our  people,  then,  awake  to 
a sense  of  their  interests  and  their  wants;  let  them  act  as  becomes 
them  in  this  matter — a matter  which  so  deeply  concerns  not  only  the 
present  generation,  but  likewise  the  unborn  millions  that  will  live  after 
us. 


(6) 


First  Negative. 

SPEECH  OF  ME.  JAMES  A.  BLAIR, 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — Though  I rise  to  speak  on  the  neg- 
ative of  this  debate,  yet  far  be  it  from  me  to  say  anything  that  would 
in  the  least  tarnish  the  glory  of  that  great  city  of  unblemished  fame, 
which  is  justly  named  the  Rome  of  the  West,  and  which  bids  fair 
not  only  to  be  the  Queen  of  the  Valley,  but  the  pride  of  the  country  at 
large — St.  Louis,  the  home  of  the  majority  of  the  audience  gathered 
around  us  here  to-night.  Nay,  quite  as  enthusiastic  in  my  admiration 
as  my  opponent,  I would  almost  be  ready  to  admit,  as  he  insinuated, 
that  St.  Louis  is  the  centre  of  the  Mississippi  Valley — that  this  Valley 
is  the  centre  of  the  United  States — and  the  United  States  the  centre  of 
the  whole  world.  But  I cannot  allow  that  therefore  the  capital  should 
be  removed  hither. 

Has  he  forgotten  the  millions  upon  millions  of  public  treasure  which 
have  been  expended  at  Washington,  in  rearing  structures  that  will 
rival  those  of  any  city  on  either  continent  ? Were  it  alleged,  that  ex- 
perience had  shown  these  buildings  to  be  unsuited  to  the  purpose,  for 
which  they  were  erected,  there  would  be  at  least  some  show  of  reason 
for  incurring  the  expense  of  erecting  new  ones  elsewhere.  But,  Mr. 
President,  nothing  of  the  kind  has  ever  been  advanced.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  universally  admitted  that  whilst,  by  their  grandeur,  they 
are  a magnificent  ornament,  they  are  at  the  same  time,  by  their  adap- 
tibility,  an  indispensable  convenience  to  the  American  Republic.  Why, 
then,  should  they  be  left  to  moulder  and  decay  ? What ! is  our  pres- 
ent public  debt  so  light  a charge  that  we  can  afford  to  increase  its 
weight?  Are  we  not  taxed  in  free  Missouri  quite  abundantly?  Are 
we  not  taxed  for  our  schools,  taxed  for  our  churches,  taxed  for  the 
very  charities  that  we  establish  ? And  shall  we  deliberately  increase 
this  weight  by  removing  the  capital,  and  adding  at  least  millions  to 
the  National  debt?  The  poet  says  that  even 

i(  Kings  ought  to  shear,  not  skin,  their  sheep.” 

Let  us  then  first  free  our  nation  of  that  prodigious  debt,  which  nei- 
ther you  nor  I will  ever  live  to  see  effaced ; and  then  those,  who  live 
after  we  shall  have  long  since  mouldered  in  the  tomb,  may  perhaps 
take  into  consideration  that  which  with  us  is  at  best  a baseless  vision. 

Why  find  fault  with  the  present  location?  True,  Washington  is 
not  the  geographical  centre  of  this  Union  ; but  this  is  not  by  any  means 
a sufficient  reason  for  removing  the  capital. 

In  the  first  place,  our  numerous  railroads  have  almost  annihilated 
distance,  and  made  us  all  neighbors.  Why,  with  the  facilities  at  our 
disposal,  a trip  from  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  capital  is  only  an  agree- 
able diversion!  and  we  Westerners  should  vote  to  keep  it  at  Washing, 
ton,  were  it  only  to  give  our  Representatives  an  annual  tour,  and  let 
them  enjoy  the  luxury  of  the  Pullman  or  Silver  Palace  sleeping  cars. 

In  the  second  place,  experience  has  shown  that  such  a position  is 
not  essential.  Witness  Russia.  Though  thi3  mighty  Empire  com- 
prises one-fifth  of  the  whole  globe,  its  seat  of  government  is  situated 
at  one  extremity  of  its  vast  territory,  St.  Petersburg;  and  yet  time 


(7) 

has  proved  that  it  is  now  increasing  in  wealth  and  population  far  more 
rapidly  than  when  its  capital  was  at  the  geographical  centre,  Moscow. 
Now,  why  should  we  expect  the  case  to  be  different  with  our  country  ? 
Is  it  not  true,  that  our  own  nation’s  onward  flight  to  greatness  and 
power  has  ever  been  associated,  in  fact  as  well  as  in  the  popular  mind, 
with  the  capital  at  Washington  ? Surely,  no  one  here  present  needs  to 
be  told  that  if  there  be  in  our  land  one  city  more  than  another,  whose 
memories  will  stir  up  the  feelings  and  elicit  the  admiration  of  an  Amer- 
ican, that  city  is  Washington— Washington,  the  seat  of  Republican 
government  for  the  last  century,  and  known  over  the  whole  world  as 
the  capital  of  a commonwealth  more  mighty  and  powerful,  than  that 
of  which  the  Csesars  wore  the  Imperial  crown — Washington,  named 
after  him  who  sleeps  in  his  tomb  at  Mount  Yernon,  the  home  of  his 
childhood,  on  the  banks  of  the  silvery  Potomac,  and  almost  in  sight  of 
the  very  spot,  from  which  he  guided  the  ship  of  state,  for  the  period  of 
eight  years. 

Similar  memories  clustered  around  Imperial  Rome — memories  of 
glory  and  greatness,  memories  of  former  struggles  and  triumphs,  mem- 
ories of  her  rustic  heroes  and  statesmen ; and  history  tells  the  result 
which  followed,  when  the  traditions  and  associations  of  her  past  were 
disregarded.  When  Constantine,  in  the  hour  of  misguided  zeal,  desired 
to  establish  another  Rome  at  Byzantium,  he  not  only  fell  far  short  of 
accomplishing  his  project,  but  destroyed  forever,  by  one  single  act, 
more  than  he  had  acquired  by  the  well  bought  victories  of  many  a gory 
battle  field.  For  the  people  naturally  looked  to  Rome  as  the  seat  of 
all  national  power.  None  other  could  take  its  place.  Think  not  that 
it  was  the  majestic  Pantheon,  with  its  now  broken  idols  and  extin- 
guished fires — think  not  that  it  was  even  the  material  structures  of 
the  Coliseum,  with  its  lengthy  colonnades  and  towering  arches,  that 
drew  the  truant  heart  away  from  the  splendors  of  the  new  capital. 
No ! it  was  the  noblest,  strongest  aspiration  of  the  heart,  which  it  is  as 
difficult  to  change,  as  to  turn  the  natural  course  of  a mountain  torrent. 
From  that  day  the  Romans  were  no  longer  one,  and  the  proud  Empire 
of  Quirinus  saw  her  “glories  star  by  star  expire,”  until  she  was  buried 
in  the  deepest  night. 

Such  will  be  the  effect  in  our  land,  if  we  attempt  to  change  the  capi- 
tal. For  the  people  have  learned  to  recognize  Washington  as  the 
place  where  all  national  power  should  reside,  and  they  can  never  ac- 
custom themselves  to  view  another  in  the  same  light.  The  present 
capital  may  crumble  into  dust,  the  ivy  may  creep  in  mazy  wildness 
along  its  dilapidated  columns,  the  solitary  owl  may  hold  her  gloomy 
vigils  among  its  mouldy  arches,  yet  our  most  distant  descendants  will 
turn  towards  its  venerable  ruins,  to  catch  the  echoes  of  a Webster’s 
eloquence  or  a Benton’s  wisdom,  still  resounding  through  its  vaults  ; 
and,  wandering  from  hall  to  hall,  they  will  stumble  over  hallowed  re- 
collections, as  they  near  the  spot  where  the  heroes  once  stood,  and 
“tread  upon  their  sacred  dust.” 

But,  if  the  most  sacred  feelings  of  the  human  heart  must  be  sacrificed 
to  the  symmetry  of  appearance,  if  the  nation  is  going  to  the  enormous 
expense  of  removing  the  capital  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  a mere 
whim,  why  not  place  it  in  that  city,  where  there  will  be  no  contention 
in  the  future,  as  to  its  centrality  ? Let  it  be  at  once  removed  to  the 


(8) 

true  centre,  at  Columbia,  Kansas,  or  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  but  let  not  St. 
Louis  stain  her  fair  reputation  by  advancing  fictitious  claims  to  a dis- 
tinction, which,  as  my  colleague  will  show,  must  eventually  prove  to  be 
more  of  a burden  than  of  an  honor. 

She  needs  not  this  adventitious  renown,  like  some  of  her  more  am- 
bitious but  less  favored  rivals.  She  has  a higher  destiny,  a nobler  end, 
than  that  of  being  the  resort  of  political  demagogues  and  intriguing 
politicians.  She  is  to  be  the  great  emporium  of  commerce  and  manufac- 
tories. Her  ports  are  to  be  crowded  with  steamboats  and  ships  from  all 
portions  of  the  globe.  She  has  already  begun  to  take  the  lead,  in  all  the 
walks  of  industry.  Her  star  daily  grows  brighter  and  more  dazzling 
in  the  firmament  of  progress;  and  its  splendor  will  continue  to  increase, 
long  after  the  stars  of  rival  cities  will  have  sunk  below  the  horizon. 

“ She  was  born  with  greatness ; 

She  has  honors,  titles,  power  within, 

And  vain  external  greatness  may  contemn.” 


Second  Affirmative. 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  L.  0.  KNAPP. 

Mr.  President  and  Members  of  the  Philalethic  Society — Ladies  and 
Gentlemen: — In  opposition  to  my  colleague’s  argument,  the  gentleman 
who  spoke  last  remarked,  that  the  financial  condition  of  the  country 
does  not  justify  the  expense  of  removing  the  capital.  Gentlemen, 
we  do  not  propose  to  move  the  capital  in  five  minutes , or  one  hour , or 
one  year  ; nor  do  we  propose  to  rebuild  the  crumbling  walls  of  the  old 
capital.  But  our  motto  is  festina  lente,  and  with  this  will  we  tri- 
umph, We  will  build  one  department  at  a time,  and  by  degrees  we 
will  soon  erect  a capital  that  shall  surpass,  in  beauty  and  magnificence, 
anything  that  has  ever  existed. 

As  my  colleague  has  remarked,  that  the  capital  must  be  removed,  and 
that  it  will  eventually  be  located  in  the  Mississippi  Yalley,  the  question 
now  arises : Where  in  the  valley  shall  we  place  this  mighty  bulwark  of  a 
nation  ? Out  of  the  many  cities  that  have  applied  for  this  grand  govern- 
mental prize,  upon  which  should  the  voice  of  the  nation  decide  ? This,  La- 
dies and  Gentlemen,  is  the  question  which  devolves  on  me  to  answer; 
and  although  at  first  glance  it  may  seem  quite  difficult,  yet,  when  ex- 
amined attentively,  there  is  scarce  a shadow  of  doubt  as  to  the  place, 
which  destiny  has  marked  out  as  the  future  capital  of  our  Great  .Re- 
public “and  of  the  civilization  of  the  Western  Continent.”  Gentle- 
men, shall  I tell  you  which  it  is  ? Is  it  possible  that  among  an  audience 
like  this — composed  of  so  much  learning,  so  much  wealth,  and  so  much 
influence — there  is  none,  save  myself,  a mere  student  in  a university, 
who  is  able  to  point  out  the  future  capital  of  Columbia  ? Ho,  I know 
your  feelings  too  well,  to  misjudge  you  in  this  manner.  Were  I to  call 
for  your  vote  at  the  present  moment,  I am  sure  the  whole  assembly 
would  arise  and  exclaim  with  a unanimous  voice,  11  St.  Louis  and  Si. 
Louis  alone  is  the  place , destined  by  Providence  to  be  the  future  Rome  of 
America — the  Babylon  of  Columbia .” 


(9) 

The  day  is  not  far  distant.  The  West  is  becoming  too  powerful 
for  the  East;  for,  as  has  been  well  said,  civilization  is  moving  west- 
ward, and,  like  the  ostrich  in  its  flight,  throws  sand  upon  everything 
behind  her;  and,  before  many  cycles  shall  have  completed  their  rounds, 
sentimental  pilgrims  from  the  humming  cities  of  the  Pacific  coast  will 
be  seen  where  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  New  York  now  stand,  view- 
ing, in  moonlight  contemplations  with  the  melancholy  owl,  traces  of 
the  Athens,  the  Carthage  and  the  Babel  of  the  Western  Hemisphere. 

One  hundred  and  six  years  ago,  St.  Louis  was  but  an  obscure  settle- 
ment, not  even  marked  on  the  maps;  but  in  the  words  of  the  Irish 
poet,  a little  altered, 

Westward  the  star  of  empire  has  taken  its  way  ; 

and  now,  where  once  stood  the  trading  post  of  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest, 
stands  St.  Louis,  the  great  emporium  of  the  West,  and  the  Queen  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  her  onward  march,  St.  Louis  has  never 
lost  ground.  Even  while  the  epidemics  of  '49  and ’66  raged  in  all  their 
fury,  immigrants  from  all  parts  of  the  world  were  daily  arriving  in 
our  city,  as  if  to  supply  the  places  vacated  by  the  dying;  and  thus  it  has 
ever  been,  that,  even  during  the  most  trying  moments,  her  guardian 
angel , her  patron  saint , the  great  St.  Louis,  has  never  deserted  her; 
and  now,  in  her  106th  year,  she  claims  a population  of  265,000  souls. 

A magnet  is  always  judged  by  the  force  of  its  attraction,  and  the 
power  it  has  of  retaining  its  magnetic  influence;  and  thus  do  I judge 
St.  Louis.  Not  only  does  she  attract,  but,  as  I have  shown,  she  retains ; 
and,  gentlemen,  those  now  living  may  see  the  day,  and  not  far  off, 
when  St.  Louis,  the  great  magnet  of  the  Western  hemisphere,  will  con- 
tain a population  of  no  less  than  1,000,000  persons. 

In  regard  to  wealth,  there  is  not  a city  in  the  Union,  of  the  same  age 
and  size,  that  is  able  to  cope  with  St.  Louis.  Even  Chicago,  with  her 
immense  Eastern  capital,  after  exhausting  millions  in  her  attempt  to 
create  a crisis  in  our  city,  has  given  up  all  hopes,  and  is  now  advoca- 
ting in  favor  of  St.  Louis. 

This  great  wealth  is  owing  to  our  inexhaustible  commercial  facili- 
ties ; we  are,  as  it  were,  the  great  commercial  centre  of  the  Republic, 
the  storehouse  from  which  is  drawn  the  material,  that  furnishes  not 
only  the  manufactories  of  America,  but  also,  to  a great  extent,  those 
of  foreign  countries.  St.  Louis  is  not  only  situated  within  a few  miles 
(500)  ride  from  the  geographical  centre,  but  it  is  the  undoubted  com- 
mercial centre.  Its  radii,  composed  of  rivers  and  railroads,  like  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  point  to  all  parts  of  the  universe,  and,  go  where  you 
will,  even  to  tho  barbarian  shores  of  Asia  and  Africa,  and  you  will 
find  the  footprints  of  our  agents  who  have  been  there  before  you. 

A few  years  ago,  one  of  our  greatest  statesmen,  in  a speech  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  was  laughed  at  for  saying:  u There  is  the  East 
— there  is  India”  Who  among  us  to-night  would  dare,  on  his  peril, 
make  light  of  these  words  ? If  there  be  any  such,  let  them  beware, 
lest  the  spirit  of  Thomas  H.  Benton  arise  and  brand  them  with  tho 
curse  of  insanity.  The  prophetic  words  of  Mr.  Benton  have  been  re- 
alized. India  is  there,  and  we  have  found  it.  Some  (among 
them,  the  gentleman  who  spoke  last)  have  rashly  asserted  that,  in  a 
business  point  of  view,  St.  Louis  will  be  ruined  if  placed  under  a Con- 


(10) 

gressional  rule;  that  this  will  drive  away  commerce,  decrease  the  value 
of  property,  and,  in  a word,  make  it  a city  of  money-made  aristo- 
crats, who  stay  at  home  and  make  a living  off  the  interest  of  their 
bonds.  These,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  are  groundless  suppositions. 
Those  who  advance  them  have  no  arguments  to  prove  their  assertions. 
They  are  but  affirming  a consequent  without  an  antecedent,  proclaim- 
ing an  effect  without  a cause,  and  therefore  they  utter  words  like  an 
automaton,  ignorant  of  their  meaning.  For  instance,  the  assertion 
made  by  the  gentleman  who  spoke  last,  “ that  neither  you  nor  I would 
live  to  see  the  present  national  debt  erased/’  This  I will  treat  with 
silence;  for  we  all  know  that  we  are  not  now  being  taxed  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  government,  to  raise  revenue,  or  to  pay  our  national  debt. 
No,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  America,  thank  God,  is  not  yet  a bankrupt. 
She  has  money  enough  in  her  coffers,  to  pay  her  debt  in  thirty  days, 
if  called  upon.  Why,  in  one  year,  the  surplus  proceeds  of  the  Talley 
alone  would  pay  the  national  debt. 

To  return  to  the  first  point.  Tell  me  one — one  single  capital  of  so 
great  a power  as  this,  that  has  not  flourished.  History,  as  far  as  the 
days  when  commerce  was  in  its  infancy,  fails  to  mention  a single  city 
that  had  lost  its  power  and  influence  on  account  of  its  being  a capital. 
W ashington  itself,  although  situated  in  so  unfavorable  a position,  has  not 
been  declining.  This,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  is  an  excellent  example;  for 
by  it  we  see  that  a city,  without  any  resources  in  a commercial  line,  has 
not  lost  anything,  but,  on  the  contrary,  we  see  that  it  owes  what  little 
importance  it  has  to  the  fact  of  its  being  the  capital.  But  situated  in 
so  unfavorable  a position,  it  is  impossible  for  it  ever  to  become  a great 
city ; and  to  this  same  infelicitous  position  is  due  the  fact  of  its  now 
being,  as  is  evident,  little  better  than  a disgrace  to  the  nation  which 
it  represents.  But,  as  my  colleague  has  already  remarked,  “its  death 
day  is  come;”  for  the  people  are  awakened  to  a real  sense  of  the  ne- 
cessity of  a change,  and  they  are  determined,  that  the  greatest  power 
of  the  globe  shall  also  have  the  greatest  capital.  Where  it  shall  be,  re- 
mains to  be  seen.  All  we  can  assert  at  present  is,  that  the  city,  which 
has  the  most  promising  position  in  regard  to  wealth  and  commercial 
facilities,  shall  also  have  the  honor  of  being  the  representative  of  the 
country,  whose  father’s  anniversary  we  celebrate  to-night.  There  are 
a few  cities  in  the  Union  now  far  ahead  of  St.  Louis;  but  there  is  not  a 
city  in  the  whole  United  States,  much  less  in  the  Mississippi  Talley, 
that  has  better  or  more  promising  prospects  than  St.  Louis.  But,  as 
my  colleague  has  already  proved  that  the  capital  must  come  to 
the  valley,  and  as  the  last  gentleman  has  admitted  that  it  should  be 
placed  in  the  most  favorable  position  if  moved  at  all,  I claim  St.  Louis 
as  the  place.  For  I have  shown  that,  in  spite  of  all  difficulties  and 
adversity,  she  has  constantly  advanced  in  population,  improved  in 
wealth  and  commerce,  and  is  now  ranked  among  the  first  marts  of  the 
world.  I do  not  call  on  the  mystic  heralds  of  futurity  to  prove  my  as- 
sertions. nor  do  I claim  consequences  without  reasons;  but  with  the 
United  States  map  in  one  hand,  and  the  government  statistics  in  the 
other,  with  the  light  of  history  to  guide  me  on  my  path,  I have  steer- 
ed safely  through  the  breakers,  and  proved  from  actual  figures,  that 
there  is  not  a more  promising  city  in  the  Union  than  St.  Louis. 

Hence,  considering  that  the  capital  of  a nation  is,  or  at  least  ought 


to  be,  a city  of  importance  in  the  world,  I claim  that  our  own  sweet 
home  has  preeminent  claims  over  all  competitors  to  be  the  capital  of 
the  Union,  as  she  is  now  the  Queen  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 


Second  Negative. 

SPEECH  OF  MR.  CHARLES  M.  OGLE. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen : — Judging  from  the  speeches  of  my 
honorable  opponents,  one  would  suppose  that  they  are  seriously  afflicted 
with  what  Ur.  Johnson  might  have  called  the  “ cacoethes  regnandi  ” — as 
if  it  were  the  greatest  thing  on  earth  to  legislate  for  others — “trium- 
phatis  dare  jura  Medis!”  Now,  however  great  the  glory  which  must 
always  follow  the  capital  of  our  country,  it  can  never  compensate  St. 
Louis  for  the  advantages  that  she  would  at  once  be  obliged  to  forego, 
were  she  selected  for  the  envied  dignity. 

Shall  we,  then,  who  after  so  many  years  of  unbounded  anxiety  and 
toil  have  reared  our  city  to  a degree  of  unrivalled  perfection,  allow  the 
interests  most  dear  to  us  to  be  sacrificed  and  become  subservient  to 
those  of  the  General  Government?  Yet,  Gentlemen,  1 assure  you  this 
will  inevitably  be  the  result,  if  the  Capital  be  removed  hither.  We  shall 
lose  those  who  have  so  brilliantly  adorned  and  upheld  our  city, 
and  who  from  the  seat  of  administration  have  defended  the 
rights  of  the  nation,  and  in  a particular  manner  the  claims  of 
our  own  people;  in  a word,  we  shall  be  impoverishing  ourselves 
to  enrich  all  the  other  portions  of  the  country. 

Remember,  Gentlemen,  the  honor  that  has  been  gained  for  our  State 
and  city,  by  the  efforts  of  that  illustrious  personage,  whose  name  is  still 
fresh  in  your  memories,  and  who,  for  thirty  long  years  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  guarded  with  the  interest  of  a parent  the  prosperity  of 
the  Western  country,  and  especially  the  advancement  of  his  own  be- 
loved home,  St.  Louis — whose  image  is  now  ornamenting  our  magnificent 
park,  and  gazed  upon  as  an  emblem  of  immortal  fame.  Perhaps  there 
are  some  in  our  midst  to-day  who,  in  time,  would  be  crowned  with  the 
same  glory,  but  whom,  by  adopting  the  course  which  you  so  ear- 
nestly vindicate,  we  shall  be  compelled  to  sacrifice. 

For,  the  capital  is  the  only  portion  of  the  country  not  represented  ; 
strangers  govern  it  and  live  upon  its  very  substance.  If  you  re- 
move it  hither,  we  shall  be  submissive  to  the  wishes  of  those  whom  we 
know  not,  and  who,  regardless  of  our  own  improvement,  will  devote 
their  energies  to  promote  the  interests  of  their  respective  States. 
What  matters  it  to  them,  whether  the  city  in  which  they  hold  their  ses- 
sion thrives  or  not,  provided  they  can  satisfy  their  constituents?  What 
will  prompt  the  Senator  from  a rival  State  to  favor  our  grain  trade 
movement,  or  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  when  he  is  fully  instructed 
by  his  constituents  to  allow  no  one  to  come  in  competition  with 
their  pretended  claims?  Chicago  knows  this  full  well  and  cunningly 
favors  the  removal  to  St.  Louis.  Her  generosity  is  so  unprecedented 
and  so  thoroughly  unselfish,  that  we  would  almost  feel  like  returning  the 


(12) 

compliment,  had  she  even  the  faintest  claim  to  such  a distinction. 
Perhaps  it  might  add  to  her  glory ; it  certainly  cannot  add  to  ours. 

If  our  city  is  destined  to  be  the  capital  of  the  United  States,  that  com- 
merce, which  is  now  our  pride  and  our  boast,  will  at  once  decrease ; the 
majestic  steamers,  which  traverse  the  Mississippi  and  daily  throng  our 
wTharfs  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  our  merchandise,  will  no  longer 
seek  for  a harbor  on  our  shores,  but,  to  our  great  astonishment  and  re- 
gret, will  perchance  resort  to  that  insignificant  borough  on  the  opposite 
shore,  East  St.  Louis — which  will  then  have  outrivalled  us  in  commerce, 
and  be  able  to  gaze  upon  us  in  a spirit  of  derision  and  triumph,  that 
will  but  too  plainly  make  us  conscious  of  the  folly  of  our  choice.  Out- 
done by  cities  that  are  now  so  far  inferior  to  us,  we  shall  no  longer  be 
able  to  support  those  who  depend  upon  commerce  for  their  livelihood. 

Our  enterprising  business  men  will  remove  to  other  cities,  and  the  re- 
maining populace  will  devote  their  whole  attention  to  political  affairs 
and  to  other  more  ignoble  professions.  Who  does  not  see  that  a poison, 
thus  slowly  instilled  into  the  veins,  will  by  degrees  induce  a general 
languor,  that  must  eventually  prove  fatal  to  the  growth  of  our  city,  and, 
by  decimating  her  now  healthy  population,  degrade  her  from  her 
queenly  pre-eminence  to  the  level  of  a second  rate  town  ? 

The  vacancy,  caused  by  the  departure  of  most  worthy  citizens,  will 
perhaps  in  a manner  be  filled,  by  the  floating  population  of  Washington 
city  But  think  you,  that  this  populace  will  sustain  the  character  of  our 
departed  friends  ? Think  you,  that  such  an  inundation  will  be  produc- 
tive of  good  results  ? A river  suddenly  swollen  bears  along  with  it  the 
filth  and  impurities  from  its  shores,  and  rapidly  sweeping  over  its  banks 
destroys  the  magnificent  structures  that  it  meets  in  its  headlong  course, 
until  all  the  country  around  bears  traces  of  its  ravages.  What  then 
would  happen,  were  Heaven  to  allow  the  ever-increasing  flood  of  office- 
hunters  and  hangers-on  to  pour  into  our  city  ? Can  you  see  nothing 
but  Santa  Clauses,  loaded  with  blessings  and  presents,  in  those  strolling 
characters  known  by  the  ludicrous  appellation  of  “ Carpet-Baggers”? — 
nothing  but  patterns  of  honesty,  in  the  members  of  the  “ gold  ring”? — 
nothing  but  guardians  of  virtue,  in  those  nameless  beings  that  gather  as 
instinctively  in  the  present  capital  as  vultures  around  carrion  ? If,  in 
addition  to  this,  the  officials  of  the  nation,  overcome  by  the  greater 
luxury  and  the  stronger  temptations  of  a large  city,  should  at  some 
future  day  forget  the  virtuous  examples  of  their  first  predecessors,  and, 
imitating  the  profligate  “Patres  Conscripti”  of  declining  Borne,  should 
sanction  crime  by  the  authority  of  a great  name,  St.  Louis  might  as 
well  disown  her  title  of  Rome  of  the  West,  unless  you  mean  “Pagan 
Rome,”  with  Vice  set  up  and  adored  again  in  her  new  Pantheon. 

Is  there  no  danger,  moreover,  that  this  motley  population  will  seri- 
ously compromise  the  peace  of  our  city?  If  even  in  Washington, 
which  numbers  but  a few  thousand  inhabitants,  any  striking  event — such 
as  the  tragic  fate  that  closed  the  career  of  a late  chief  magistrate — 
causes  a general  commotion,  what  would  happen  in  St.  Louis,  which 
counts  its  citizens  by  hundreds  of  thousands  ? The  capital  of  a Repub- 
lic of  necessity  contains  within  itself  the  elements  of  a fearful  conflagra- 
tion. It  needs  but  a small  spark  to  set  the  whole  into  a blaze. 

An  interesting  political  question,  taken  up  in  Congress,  is  enough  to 
kindle  the  fire,  studiously  fanned  by  a favorite  leader.  Paris,  and  the 


(13) 

reign  of  terror,  afford  us  a wholesome  lesson,  by  which  St.  Louis  ought 
to  profit.  A great  city  never  has  been  and  never  can  be  the  capital  of 
a republic,  without  being  exposed  to  outbreaks,  similar  to  those  that  oc- 
curred in  the  French  metropolis  under  popular  rule. 

If,  then,  we  value  the  independence  of  our  citizens,  if  we  value  the 
prosperity  of  our  commerce,  if  we  value  the  character  of  St. 
Louis,  let  us  not  take  any  steps  towards  moving  the  capital 
hither.  If  it  must  be  located  in  this  neighborhood,  let  it  be  in 
some  little  country  town,  like  St.  Genevieve,  St.  Charles,  or  even 
Florissant — anywhere  but  St.  Louis.  As  these  places  are  like  so  many 
outposts  of  our  own  city,  we  could  not  fail  to  take  a special  interest  in 
any  one  of  them,  that  would  enjoy  the  honor  of  being  the  capital  of  the 
nation.  We  might  even  volunteer  to  fit  up  hotels  with  suitable  ac- 
commodations for  the  representatives  of  the  people,  and  set  the  streets 
with  Nicolson  pavement,  of  which  the  little  village  on  the  Potomac 
has  possibly  not  yet  heard. 

As  for  ourselves,  let  us  shun  the  incubus,  and  modestly  decline  in 
favor  of  any  other  aspirant,  content  with  the  honor  of  having  been  de- 
clared most  worthy  of  the  coveted  distinction,  by  the  voice  of  the  country 
at  large. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS  BY  THE  CHAIRMAN, 

M.  J.  McLOUGHLIN. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — In  the  weekly  debates  of  the  Philalethic 
Society  it  is  customary  for  the  presiding  officer  to  give  a decision — a 
decision  in  favor  of  that  side  which,  in  his  opinion,  is  sustained  by  the 
weightier  arguments.  But  there  are  times,  when  the  arguments  on  both 
sides  appear  so  evenly  balanced,  that  neither  seems  to  have  the  advan- 
tage; and,  in  such  cases,  he  is  compelled,  in  fairness,  to  give  no  decision, 
or  in  other  words  to  pronounce  *the  debate  a tie.  I find  myself  in  that 
predicament  this  evening.  Both  parties  have  advanced  reasons,  appa- 
rently incontrovertible;  and,  judging  from  the  applause  bestowed  upon 
all  the  disputants,  the  audience  itself  is  divided  in  its  opinion.  This  being 
the  case,  I am  sure  that  the  gentlemen  who  participated  in  the  debate  will 
be  well  satisfied,  in  leaving  the  decision  to  those,  who  have  so  kindly 
manifested  their  appreciation  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  debaters  on 
either  side.  But,  whether  St.  Louis  become  the  national  capital  or  not, 
not  a doubt  can  be  entertained  as  to  her  future  prosperity  and  power. 

Nearly  a century  ago  it  was  said,  by  one  of  America’s  most  gifted  and 
eloquent  sons,  that  he  could  judge  of  the  future  only  by  the  past.  That 
saying  embodies  a truth  not  less  applicable  now  than  it  was  then. 

We  can  indeed  judge  of  the  future  only  by  the  past.  But,  judging  by 
the  past,  have  we  not  every  reason  to  predict  a brilliant  future  for  St. 
Louis?  Are  we  not  justified  in  asserting  that  she  bids  fair  to  rival,  if 
not  surpass,  the  mightiest  cities  of  ancient  or  modern  times?  Examine 
the  past  of  St.  Louis  and  judge  of  her  future.  Look  into  her  history — 
yes,  her  history,  short  though  it  be,  but  oh,  how  strange  and  eventful — 


(14) 


and  there  read  the  story  of  her  greatness.  Or  rather,  ask  some  of  those 
gray-haired  men,  who  sit  in  this  hall  to-night,  the  living  witnesses  of 
her  wondrous  increase.  Question  them  on  her  past,  and  they  will  tell 
you  that  they  well  remember  the  time  when  St.  Louis  was  but  a quiet 
village,  calmly  reposing  on  the  banks  of  the  dark  and  solemn  waters  that 
flow  down  by  her  side— a spot  barely  discernible  on  the  verge  of  civili- 
zation— an  outpost,  obscure  and  almost  unknown,  in  that  far  West,  of 
whose  coming  greatness  few  had  scarcely  dreamed.  They  will  tell  you 
that  no  steamboats  plied  up  and  down  the  Mississippi — that  no  loco- 
motives had  penetrated  through  the  surrounding  wilderness.  They  will 
tell  you  that  they  knew  of  no  lightning  obedient  to  any  power,  save  the 
power  of  Him  that  rules  the  storm. 

In  those  days  every  St.  Louisan  was  well  acquainted  with  the  person, 
prospects,  resources  and  character  of  every  one  in  the  village.  But  these 
things  gradually  changed.  First  came  one  group  of  settlers,  then  another 
and  another.  And  they  continued  to  come,  and  to  grow  larger  and 
more  numerous,  until  the  old  men  of  the  village  that  was  began  to  realize 
the  fact,  that  they  didn’t  know  everybody  in  St.  Louis  any  more.  Old  customs 
made  way  for  new  ones.  Steamboats,  and  locomotives,  and  telegraph 
wires,  and  telegraph  offices  ceased  to  be  novelties.  On  every  side  were 
to  be  seen  the  indications  of  the  city’s  future  greatness.  Everything 
appeared  to  go  by  steam;  in  fact,  so  rapidly  did  the  city  increase,  that 
it  appeared  to  grow  by  steam.  The  spirit  of  progress  had  descended 
upon  St.  Louis,  and  lo ! she  stood  forth  transformed — acknowledged  to 
be  what  she  now  is  and  must  ever  continue  to  be,  the  glorious  Queen  of 
the  West! 

This  is  the  record  of  St.  Louis  for  the  past  fifty  years;  and  surely  it  is 
a record  of  which  she  may  well  be  proud.  Her  success,  too,  is  all  the 
more  flattering,  that  it  has  been  obtained  by  the  aid  of  no  adventitious 
circumstances.  What  she  is,  that  she  has  become  by  the  force  of  advan- 
tages of  which  nature  herself  is  the  guarantee.  Her  unrivalled  position, 
her  commercial  facilities,  her  agricultural  and  mineral  resources — all 
these,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  course  of  the  debate,  are  the  sources 
whence  St.  Louis  derives  her  power.  Thus  far  many  of  her  resources 
have  scarcely  been  called  into  requisition,  and  others  are  only  in  process 
of  development. 

If,  under  these  circumstances,  St.  Louis  has  attained  her  present  wealth 
and  position,  is  it  not  fair,  is  it  not  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  she  is 
destined  to  achieve  a greatness,  unsurpassed  by  any  city  of  this  or  any 
other  age  ? What  element  of  greatness  had  Tyre,  Carthage,  or  Palmyra, 
that  St.  Louis  does  not  possess?  Had  they  agriculture?  Had  they 
manufactures?  Had  they  commerce?  St.  Louis  combines  these  three 
great  departments  of  human  industry.  She  has  what  they  had  not — the 
benefits  of  civilization  the  most  refined  the  world  ever  saw,  the  assist- 
ance of  all  those  marvellous  improvements  and  discoveries  in  the  arts 
and  sciences,  which  have  immortalized  the  last  hundred  years,  and 
by  the  side  of  which  the  most  brilliant  achievements  of  antiquity  dwindle 
into  comparative  insignificance. 

With  such  facts  as  these  before  our  eyes — facts  taken  from  the  domain 
of  history  and  experience — we  need  no  longer  dwell  upon  the  indica- 
tions of  the  future  greatness  of  St.  Louis,  but  indulge  in  the  brightest 
anticipations  of  her  coming  career. 


(15) 


Ye  t prodigal  as  nature  has  been  of  her  gifts,  in  order  that  this  city  may 
reap  the  full  benefit  of  her  favors,  it  is  necessary  that  the  people  of  St. 
Louis  should  do  all  in  their  power,  to  develop  the  resources  so  lavishly 
conferred.  It  is  not  sufficient  that  they  be  mere  passive  spectators  of 
the  efforts  made  by  an  energetic  few ; they  must  be  real,  earnest,  strenu- 
ous workers,  veritable  “Conditores  urbis,” — men  determined,  energetic, 
sagacious  and  persevering,  who  are  actuated  by  no  petty,  no  unworthy 
motives,  but  who  are  fully  impressed  with  the  dignity  and  the  grandeur 
of  the  mission  they  are  called  upon  to  fulfil — men  who  will  lay  broad 
and  deep  the  foundation,  from  which  may  arise  a metropolis  worthy  to 
be  called  the  pride  of  the  Great  American  Republic — the  masterpiece  of 
the  nineteenth  century. 

That  St.  Louis  has  had  such  citizens,  the  names  of  Benton,  Ames, 
1V1  ull anphy , and  O’Fallon,  abundantly  testify.  That  she  still  boasts  of 
men,  not  less  public-spirited  nor  less  interested  in  her  welfare,  is  equally 
true.  But  their  example  must  be  imitated.  As  the  great  English  Admiral, 
Lord  Nelson,  when  about  to  achieve  the  most  glorious  of  his  victories — 
wishing  to  animate  his  followers — anxious  to  infuse  into  their  souls  a 
portion  of  that  patriotic  fire  which  burned  so  brightly  within  his  own — 
hoisted  that  never  to  be  forgotten  signal,  “ England  expects  every  man 
to  do  his  duty,”  so  these  men,  animated  by  an  undying  love  for  St. 
Louis,  and  speaking  in  her  name,  more  by  their  actions  than  by  words, 
exclaim,  (i  St.  Louis  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty!” 

This  is  indeed  the  spirit  that  ought  to  glow  within  the  breast  of  every 
St.  Louisan.  Then,  in  the  coming  time,  when  those  wild  western  prai- 
ries, which  as  yet  have  never  felt  the  touch  of  ploughshare,  shall  have 
yielded  to  the  force  of  man’s  magic,  and  have  been  transformed  into 
smiling  fields,  teeming  with  the  fruits  of  civilized  labor;  when  flourishing 
cities  shall  occupy  those  places,  where  there  is  now  nought  save  solitude  ; 
when  songs  of  Christian  praise  and  thanksgiving  shall  arise  from  thous- 
ands of  temples,  in  concert  with  the  warblings  of  the  winged  tribe;  when, 
in  a word,  the  hum  and  the  bustle  of  civilized  millions  shall  have  suc- 
ceeded to  the  solemn  loneliness — the  appalling  stillness  of  the  untraveled 
and  unexplored  wilds — then,  then  St.  Louis  will  be,  as  a gentleman  in- 
timated this  evening,  the  radiating  centre,  the  grand  focus,  whose  rays 
refulgent  with  a civilization  more  perfect  than  ours,  shall  penetrate  into 
every  quarter  of  the  Republic. 

Then,  indeed,  will  the  prophesy  of  Benton  be  verified : “ St.  Louis 
shall  be  the  continental  cross-roads.”  Those  iron  rails,  that  now  stretch 
from  sea  to  sea,  shall  be  intersected  here  by  others,  reaching  from 
Hudson’s  Bay  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  These  shall  be  the  great  avenues, 
the  highways  of  the  nation,  to  which  all  other  ways  shall  be  but  as  by- 
paths. These  are  the  sinews  with  which  St.  Louis  intends  to  grapple  to 
herself  the  wealth  and  the  power,  not  of  this  continent  alone,  but  also  of 
Asia.  Nature  has  given  to  her  the  rod  of  empire,  and  art  will  give  her 
the  strength  to  keep  it.  Here,  here,  in  our  midst,  beats  the  heart  of  the 
nation  even  now;  its  throbbings,  faint  though  they  be,  are  yet  distinctly 
perceptible ; but  the  time  will  soon  be  upon  us,  when  every  pulsation 
will  be  felt  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

This,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  is  the  destiny  of  St.  Louis — this  the  mis- 
sion she  is  fated  to  accomplish  And  who  is  there  here  to-night,  that 
does  not  wish  her  God-speed  in  its  fulfilment?  Who  is  there  that  does 


(16) 

not  join  with  me  in  the  heart-felt  wish,  that  when  a century  hence  to- 
night the  moon  looks  down  upon  the  American  continent — when  she 
smiles  upon  the  venerable  Father  of  Waters,  old  and  ceaseless  as  Time 
itself — when  she  silvers  with  her  benignant  ray  the  thousands  of  heaven- 
pointing  spires,  which  shall  adorn  our  city — she  may  behold  its  people, 
with  hearts  as  light  and  as  happy  as  ours,  celebrating,  like  us,  the  anni- 
versary of  Washington’s  birthday. 


A BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PHILALETHIC  SOCIETY. 


The  object  of  this  Society  is  to  accustom  its  members  to  speak  in  public,  and  to  fur- 
nish them  with  useful  information  on  topics  of  general  interest. 

The  President  is  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  University,  and  invested  with  the 
authority  of  the  Faculty,  which  he  represents ; the  other  officers  are  elected  by  ballot. 

It  was  founded  in  1832,  under  the  Presidency  of  the  Very  Rev.  P.  J.  Verhaegen,  S.  J. 
The  students  of  the  First  Class  met  in  November  of  the  same  year,  and,  after  drawing 
up  a Constitution  and  By-laws,  proceeded  to  organize,  with  the  following  result : 

RIGHT  REV.  JAMES  VANDEVELDE,  President. 

Mr.  FREMONT  DU  BOUFFAY,  Vice-President. 

“ P.  A.  WALSH,  Secretary. 

“ THOMAS  M.  TAYLOR,  Treasurer. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  the  succeeding  Presidents  and  Vice-Presidents  : 


PRESIDENTS. 

Bernard  McGowan. 

Very  Rev.  P.  J.  Verhaegen. 
Rev.  J.  A.  Sweevelt. 

Right  Rev.  Geo.  A.  Carrell. 
Rev.  F.  P.  O’Logiilen. 
Edward  Q.  Waldron. 

Rev.  F.  B.  Jamison. 

J.  D.  Johnson. 

Rev.  C.  F.  Smarius. 

Rev.  F.  X.  Wippern. 

Rev.  Wm.  Mearns. 

Rev.  J.  A.  Fastre. 

Rev.  F.  P.  Garesche. 

Rev.  J.  M.  J.  Converse. 

John  Lesperance. 

Rev.  John  F.  X.  Tehan. 

Rev.  John  McGill. 

Rev.  Francis  Nussbaum. 

R.  J.  Meyer. 

>W. 


VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

P.  McLoughlin. 

Jeremiah  Langton,  Esq. 
Theophiltjs  Littel. 

Col.  H.  B.  Kelly. 

Hon.  Richard  Barret. 

D.  H.  Guyon. 

C.  F.  Lott. 

Lucien  Carr. 

Thomas  Harvey. 

Homere  Mille. 

Rev.  Edward  Fitzpatrick. 
Francis  Desloge. 

Adolphe  Menard. 

H.  B.  Murphy. 

B.  M.  Chambers. 

Adolphe  Webre. 

J . M.  Verdenal. 

B.  M.  Rice. 

^Francis  LaMotte,  Esq. 

A.  J.  Kennedy,  Esq. 

Santiago  Belden. 

Holdridge  Collins,  Esq. 
Wolsey  Collins,  Esq. 

Thomas  Mtjsgrave. 

Robert  Holloway. 


The  Society  possesses  a spacious  hall,  which  has  been  neatly  furnished  during  the 
course  of  the  present  year,  and  is  destined  to  be  still  further  improved. 

On  leaving  the  University,  the  members  are  entitled  to  a Certificate  of  honorary 
membership.  Any  other  person,  whom  the  President  and  the  Society  deem  worthy  of 
special  consideration,  may  share  the  same  privilege. 


(17) 


The  following  are  the  names  of  the  active  members  now  composing  the  Society  : 

Mu.  R.  J.  MEYER.  S.  J.,  President. 

“ M.  J.  McLOUGHLIN,  Vice-President. 

“ D.  I).  BUIiNES,  Secretary. 

« LEIGH  O.  KNAPP,  Treasurer. 

“ C H A U LE  S M . O G LE , First  Censor. 

“ ROBERT  BREARD,  Second  Censor. 


Mk. Louis  R.Behgeron. 
“ J.  J.  Yarnall. 

“ F.  Value  Rkyburn. 
“ John  Bkeakd. 

“ Tyler  W.  McAtee. 
“ Jos.  Montedonjco. 
“ Eleutiierio  Baca. 
Edward  Gleeson. 
Francis  Weight. 


Mr.  Jas.  A.  Blair. 

“ Joseph  Weber. 

“ Calender  Lewis. 

“ Charles  Laforge. 

“ Stephen  Menard. 

“ George  Wilkinson. 

“ Tennille  McEnery. 
“ Wm.  Provenchere. 


The  following  is  a list  of  those  who  were  formerly  active  members  : 


John  Walker. 

Laurent  Segur. 

Daniel  Hickey. 

Louis  Laroque. 

John  Duralde. 

Wm.  Hartley. 

Achile  Segur. 
Benjamin  Soulard. 
Jose  Puchey  Bea. 

J.  W.  Scarret. 

Benj.  Eaton. 

O.  A.  Ogden. 

W.  J.  Furguson. 
Gustavus  Billon, 
Edward  V.  Deroin. 

S Simpson. 

Alonzo  Manning. 

John  Posey. 

Theo.  Littel. 

Flavius  Thompson. 

I).  G.  R^jon. 

Ferd.  Mudd. 

Wm.  C.  Taylor. 

Oscar  W.  Collet. 

Louis  Lombard. 

Rev.  John  Verdin. 
Peter  Poursine 
Jules  Sompayrac. 

John  Morgan. 

Wm.  Guilmartin. 
Landy  Delouche. 

Rev.  George  Watson. 
Louis  Carrie al. 

Rev.  G.  H.  Kernion. 
Francis  Roubien. 

F.  L.  Garesche. 

F.  P.  Leaven  worth. 
Chas»  F.  Lott,  Jr. 

Wm.  T.  Coleman. 

H.  B.  Brant. 

G.  C.  Hartt. 

J.  S.  B.  Alleyne,  M.D. 
J.  B.  Graham. 

E.  F.  Smith,  M.D. 
Nathan  Rannels. 

B.  W.  Lott 

2 


Jos.  W.  Walsh. 

James  Walsh. 

J.  J.  Anderson. 

Samuel  McGill. 

John  Shannon. 

Robert  Reilly. 

Wm.  Kinney. 

John  Klein. 

Justin  Landry. 

J.  Michel. 

Joseph  Larguier. 

J.  Haggerty. 

J.  La  Faye. 

Chas.  Kennedy. 

L.  Texada. 

Russel  Curtis. 

Robt.  Beamon. 

Alfred  Thorington. 
Wm.  Moore. 

Manuel  Iiegil. 

Manuel  Medina. 

James  Halligan. 

\.  Mendes. 

Peyton  Spence. 

Wm.  Romeyn. 

Andrew  Murphy. 
Joseph  Verdin. 

W.  M.  McNair. 
Valiere  Dupuy. 

Joseph  Hall. 

Theo.  LaV6ille. 

A.  FI  Kernion. 

Col.  H.  B.  Kelly. 
Calhoun  Benham. 
Alex.  Garesche,  IjL.D, 
Chas.  Childs. 

Geo.  Graham. 

Arthur  Gallagher. 

H.  P.  Shurburne. 

P.  M.  Blair. 

V.  Carr  Lane. 

Allen  W.  Davy. 

E.  E.  Curtis. 

Chas.  B.  Smith. 

Wm.  FI.  McGuire. 

Jas.  J.  McBride. 


Eugene  Swindler 
Augustus  Roche. 

George  Simpson. 

Silvere  Deloche. 

Benj.  Fonteneau. 

P.  Corlis. 

Valsin  Dupuy. 

Sylvester  Papin. 

P.  Bludworth. 

Thos.  O’Connel. 

Chauve  Labeaume. 
Lucien  Roubien. 
Theophilus  Commagbre. 
Severin  Trichel. 

Armand  Boissat. 

Chas.  Tessier. 

Fid  ward  Carr. 

Samuel  Stewart. 

Edw.  Jennings. 

Wm.  Alexander. 

Lucien  Trichel. 

Thomas  Watson. 

G.  McKeever. 

J.  E.  Darst. 

Theodosius  Barret. 

Hon.  Richard  Barret. 

I.  N.  M.  Harding. 
Benjamin  Farrar. 

A.  K.  McLean. 

Rev.  Thos.  O’Neil. 

E.  C.  Winchester. 

Rev.  F.  P.  Garesche. 

D.  W.  Sheppard,  Esq. 

F.  E.  Relly. 

Rev.  T.  M.  Finney. 

Jas.  W.  Davis. 

Jno.  Q.  Burbridge. 

R.  F.  Miller. 

I'rancis  Duplissis. 

G u~  ton  Jones. 

Jas.  R.  Larkin. 

Henry  Von  Phul. 

John  Yore. 

Byron  Kirby. 

Henry  Chouteau. 

Jas.  Rotchford. 


(18) 


Lucien  Carr. 

Guyen  Tompkins. 

P.  Donnelly. 

Alex.  McGuire. 

Marco  Givanovich. 
Bernard  Farrar. 

M.  Hayes. 

Edward  Morehead,  M.D. 
Edward  Lynd. 

Louis  Leduc. 

Jer.  F.  Young. 

Jas.  A.  Kennedy,  Esq. 
Francis  Desloge. 

A.  Menard. 

J.  A.  Bienvenu. 

H.  B.  Murphy. 

H.  G.  Soulard. 

C.  P.  McCune. 

J.  D.  Galvin. 

R.  V.  Corcoran,  Esq. 
Overton  Barret. 

Adolphe  Webre. 

Geo.  Dickinson. 

Edw.  McCabe,  Esq. 

Chas.  Conwell. 

Gilman  Chouteau. 

Wm.  Shaw. 

Wm.  C.  Crone. 

Sol.  W.  Steigers,  M.D. 
R.  W.  Anderson. 

Jos.  McNeil. 

Rev.  P.  O’Reilly. 

Thos.  J.  Drum. 

Bernard  Gautier. 

J.  A.  Davenport. 

F.  X.  McCabe,  Esq. 

Fr.  X.  LaMotte,  Esq. 
Wm.  J.  Rickert,  Esq. 

J.  T.  Wilson. 

L.  J.  Ducote. 

A.  G.  Hawes. 

Wm.  J.  Corkery. 

Jno.  P.  Hogan. 

Jno.  De  Brees. 

Jules  Desloge. 

Jer.  F.  Conro y,  Esq. 

W.  S.  Pratt. 

W.  A.  Morris. 

Chas.  H.  Clienot. 

Chas.  LaMotte. 

Peter  Corcoran. 

W.  A.  Bickford. 

Thos.  H.  Trigg. 

L.  J.  Celia. 

Hiram  F.  X.  Fairbanks. 
Chas.F.  Loker. 

John  P.  Donaher. 

Jno.  McCallum. 

C.  B.  Eaton. 

T.  J.  Smith. 

F.  A.  Jones. 

J.  M.  Worthington. 

Edw.  W.  Wallin. 

J.  W.  Golden. 

J.  M.  Wolbrecht. 


Jno.  C.  Powell. 

J.  F.  R.  McEnnis. 

Leon  J.  Papin. 

Adolphe  Brazene. 

Isaac  J.  Cooper. 

E.  Forstall. 

Paul  Poincy. 

Edm.  H.  Trepagnier. 
Homere  Mille. 

Wm.  Linton. 

F.  N.  Trepagnier. 

Victor  Pujos. 

Leon  Webre. 

J.  L.  Vincent. 

Chas.  H.  Harber. 

Geo.  J.  Hood. 

B.  M.  Chambers. 

Jno.  H.  Reel. 

J.  J.  Ducote. 

J.  D Finney. 

Jas.  J.  Finney. 

Jas.  J.  Sweeny. 

Jas.  A.  Kelly. 

Matthew  Johnson. 
Theodule  Camus. 

Thos.  Dorris. 

Augustus  Ewing. 

Jno.  Verdenal. 

Geo.  Douglas  Ramsay,  Jr. 
J.  Diller  Ruth. 

Jno.  J.  Quinlan. 

Julius  S.  Walsh. 

Bernard  Rice. 

S.  B.  Pallen. 

M.  M.  Boissac. 

Jas.  F.  Byrne. 

Hugh  A.  Boyle. 

Jas.  H.  Yore. 

Thos.  Hurst. 

Louis  S.  Tesson,  M.D. 

Jno.  Moynihan. 

Jas.  A.  Beatty. 

John  J.  Quealy. 

Jno.  J.  Rodgers. 

Santiago  Belden. 

G.  W.  Fichtenkam. 

Lloyd  Mitchell. 

J.  S.  Mauntel. 

F.  J.  Donovan. 

Wm.  L.  Loker. 

G.  S.  Berthold. 

W.  J.  Pickett,  Jr. 

Lewis  C.  Smith,  Esq. 
Bernard  Finney. 

Shep.  Barclay,  Esq. 

James  Budd. 

David  Dunphy. 

Jno.  Braidy. 

R.  T.  Holloway. 

E.  F.  Aelile. 

M.  C.  Lynch. 

Eugene  M.  Morrison. 

D.  E.  Brittenum. 

Leon  Greneaux. 

Thos.  H.  Musgrave. 


Chas.  Delhommer. 

Jas.  O’Neil. 

E.  J.  Carrel. 

A.  R.  McCrummen. 
Wm.  F.  Whelan. 

Edgar  Pitot. 

John  Lesperance. 

Jos.  Wright. 

Patrick  Carolin. 

Chas.  Leaumont. 

Edw.  T.  Farish,  Esq. 
Montrose  Pallen,  M.D~ 
John  Ainslie. 

Wm.  I.  Kenny,  Esq. 
Am.  Gautier. 

Rev.  T.  B.  Chambers. 
Geo.  Wise. 

Edward  Leavy. 

Rev.  F.  M.  Keilty. 

J.  P.  Murphy. 

Augustus  Verret. 

Nap.  R.  Hemkins. 

II.  Clay  Hay. 

Francis  Hood. 

Bernard  Brady. 

Charles  Wise. 

David  McKernan. 

R.  J.  Meyer. 

Bryan  Clemens. 

F.  X.  Marsot. 

Jno.  O’Connor. 

Eugene  H.  Brady. 

Levi  Davis. 

D.  F.  Verdenal. 

John  Langton. 

A.  J.  Kennedy,  Esq. 

J.  A.  Ketterer. 

Henry  A.  Munks. 
Gerald  L.  Griffin,  Esq. 
Cesaire  Lemoine. 

Jno.  Austin  Walsh. 

Geo.  Loker. 

Jno.  A.  Walsh. 

Thos.  G Brent. 

L.  V.  Cartan. 

Jno.  A.  Woodson. 

Edm.  G.  Pallen. 

N.  O.  Champagne. 
Holdridge  Collins,  Esq, 

F.  L.  Weinman. 

Jas.  Butler,  Esq. 
Duncan  McCallum. 

W.  W.  Collins,  Esq. 
Patrick  Murphy. 

John  O’Meara. 

T.  Aloysius  Howard. 
Michael  Flood. 

Chas.  Fanning. 

Chas.  Budd. 

J.  M.  Hertzog. 

J.  C.  Scull. 

Edw.  F.  Haydon. 

Wm.  L.  Trowbridge. 

G.  H.  Backer. 

Sam’l  Worthington. 


(19) 


G.  W.  Wnllir). 
Win.  P.  Lynch. 
M.  Cushing. 
John  Halpin. 
Isaac  Taylor. 
Wm.  H.  Haws. 


M.  S.  McCallum. 
Ferd.  T.  Bates. 
M.  J.  Doherty. 

M.  Wm.  O’Neil. 
John  Kennedy. 


Thos.  S.  Fitzgerald. 
Wm.  M.  Smith. 

Geo.  W.  Waite. 

J.  O.  Ming. 

Roger  Herring. 


The  following  have  been  elected  honorary  members,  and  have  acknowledged  their 
affiliation  by  letters  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Society  : 


Hon.  Wm.  Carr  Lane. 
Hon.  Wilson  Primm. 

A.  B.  Chambers,  Esq. 

J.  C.  Dinnies,  Esq. 

Hon.  Bryan  Mullanphy. 
C.  P.  Chouteau,  Jr.,  Esq. 
Dr.  Orestes  A.  Brownson. 
J.  V.  Huntington. 

Robert  Bakewell,  Esq. 
Very  Rev.  P.  J.  Ryan. 


S.  McLean,  Esq. 

H.  A.  Prout,  M.D. 

Hon.  R.  M.  Johnson. 
Hon.  Martin  Van  Buren. 
Hon.  Daniel  Webster. 
Randolph  Rouand,  M.D. 
Pierce  C.  Grace,  Esq. 
Hon.  E.  A.  Hannegan. 
Felix  McArdle. 

Hon.  H.  J.  Spaunhorst. 


Hon.  L.  E.  Lawless. 
Hardage  Lane,  M.D. 
Edmund  McCabe,  M.D. 
V.  M.  Garesche,  Esq. 

B.  B.  Brown,  M.D. 

Hon.  Henry  Clay. 

Hon.  L.  M.  Ken  nett. 
Thos.  C.  Reynolds. 
Hon.  L.  V.  Bogy. 


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